


The Discoloring Of Dalton Academy

by darcangell23



Category: Glee
Genre: Horror, M/M, Mystery, Suspense, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-25
Updated: 2013-05-05
Packaged: 2017-12-09 12:36:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/774265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darcangell23/pseuds/darcangell23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Color is evidence of life. Being alive is represented by the presence of color. Life can slowly be drained out by the seeping of colors, filtering from the living, and leaving the specimen a mere drone.</p><p>It is against regulations to practice color draining experiments on living human beings but Dalton Academy has a certain disregard for laws. And a certain countertenor is about to find out just how much.</p><p>Students at Dalton Academy are losing their color and things seem much more brighter to the naked eye than they are. No one on the outside knows what the staff at Dalton is doing to its students and no one questions why kids suddenly go missing or why Dalton has lucious green grounds year round. Kurt is about to get to the bottom of this mystery but he had to hurry because time is running out, for his new friends, for Blaine, and…for himself.</p><p>Rating may go up in the future!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> So I was going to post this at ff.net but it wasn't letting me into my account or such so it's going here. I like to have different stuff on different archives. Anyway, there will be Klaine romance in this story but the main plot deals with the mystery of losing color. I got this plot bunny when reading something else that was so awesome! Hope you enjoy!

It was too pleasant. It was too goddamn pleasant and the very thought of it sent shivers up Kurt's spine as his gaze fixed on the car window.

The sun was shining. Birds were chirping. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Not really unusual right? Unless you counted the fact that it was the last week of November in Ohio. The weather was acting weird. It was too goddamn pleasant.

Kurt Hummel sat in the front seat of his father's car, his stepbrother Finn dozing in the back. Carole, Kurt's new stepmother had wanted to see him off to the new school too but she unfortunately had a shift at the hospital that she could not get out of.

Finn was still a little irritated with the fact that Kurt had made the decision to accept his parents' offer to use their honeymoon money to cover the Dalton tuition so that he would feel safe there, but he had refused to allow Kurt to have to move into his new dorm room on his own. So there he was.

Kurt found that his father and stepbrother seemed not to take note that anything was out of the ordinary on this particular day but he, he could feel the dread grow within him with every mile they got closer to the private school.

Dalton Academy for boys was in Westerville, Ohio, two hours out of Kurt's hometown of Lima. He couldn't very well commute there every morning. Given the drive and how much time it took for Kurt to get ready in the mornings, he suspected that he'd have to get up no later than four am everyday just to get there on time. That would leave no room for him to hang out with friends on the weekends because he'd probably spend the majority of them catching up on sleep or doing homework. So Kurt had opted to board at the school instead.

Dalton was also known for its strict zero tolerance no bullying policy. This was the sole reason why Kurt was transferring to Dalton in the first place. He had been badly bullied at his old school for being openly gay. And when his biggest tormentor had threatened his very life, Burt had decided to put his foot down. At first, the boy had been expelled but without witnesses and just Kurt's word to go on, the school board had reversed the expulsion. Kurt just did not feel safe at McKinley anymore.

But as thrilled as he had been at the idea, now that he was actually on his way there, Kurt could not shake the feeling that something was very very wrong.

"I'm gonna miss you kid," Burt said suddenly. Kurt snapped his head from the window and forced a small smile onto his face.

"I'll miss you too dad," he replied, glad that he had the acting skills to keep his dad from thinking there was anything wrong.

He turned back to the window then and nothing more was said. Finn had dozed off in the backseat. Clearly, he wasn't as concerned about the unusual weather as Kurt was. Though neither was Burt for that matter.

Kurt wondered if it was just him and he tried his best to shake it off. But as they drew ever closer, he couldn't help the growing feeling of dread in his gut.

And then it happened.

Kurt's eyes alit on a sign, that was terribly old and battered but marked a dirt road that ran off the highway. It was so hidden by brush and ill used that Kurt was sure normally, you wouldn't be able to find it unless you were actually looking for it. But it was there and the sign read, 'Pleasantville' with an arrow pointing down the dirt road.

A chill ran up Kurt's spine. Wasn't there a movie entitled that? Wasn't it about two kids ending up in a fictional world of black and white? He could not remember exactly. He had only ever seen the movie once. He wasn't really impressed. It had not turned out to live up to the critical acclaims so many made about it. It was a disappointment.

For a moment, Kurt could not put his finger on why that sign had given him such a chill, but as they came closer, he noticed the figure standing beside it and his heart jumped up into his throat. The figure looked like a boy who had walked right out of an old black and white movie.

And as they drove past this strange boy, Kurt could swear he was staring right at him.

The whole experience had Kurt tearing his eyes from the window and staring down at his lap. He swallowed hard. What the hell was that? He must be going crazy. There's no way he could have possibly seen what he thought he had. His mind was playing tricks on him. Between the feelings of dread and the memories of that movie, it was trying to subconsciously give him a reason to plead to go back to Lima. Yeah that must have been it.

"You all right Kurt?" Burt asked, glancing at him from the corner of his eye. Kurt nodded meekly. He didn't trust his voice right about then. Burt looked unconvinced but didn't press the matter. Kurt was grateful. There was no telling what his dad might think if he told him what he thought he'd seen.

Not another word was spoken until Burt turned off the exit that lead to the school. Kurt could see it from down the road. It stood tall and magnificent, overlooking the surrounding trees and lush greens.

Wait, lush greens?

"Is that it?" came Finn's voice from the backseat and Kurt jumped. He hadn't been aware that his stepbrother had woken from his nap.

"Yep!" Burt replied gruffly, pulling the truck into the wide drive that lead to the school's parking lot. "Now remember Kurt, I'll come and get you for the weekend and then you can drive your car back here," he went on as he pulled into a parking space and killed the engine.

Kurt nodded. "Yes dad, I know," he said in a slightly irritated tone. Kurt had agreed to leave his Navigator back at the house in Lima for the first week so he could take the time to adapt to the school.

Burt nodded in confirmation as he and Finn both got out of the car and started pulling Kurt's things from the trunk. Kurt didn't budge. His eyes were on the surrounding landscape. It looked too lusciously lifelike. Way too green and colorful for this time of year. Something was off. In fact, Kurt doubted people had landscape that green and lush during spring or summer  _anywhere_ , not just in Ohio. His dread grew even more but he tried to swallow it down.

A tall red haired woman was hastily making her way out of the front of the school, a smile on her face Kurt had the distinct feeling was a ploy. It looked fake to him. But Burt and Finn seemed not to notice.

As she was conversing with Burt, Kurt decided he might as well get out of the car and it was then that he noticed two men who looked like they could work for the secret service or something if their black suits, sunglasses, and earpieces were anything to go by, step up behind the woman.

"Great, so myself and Finn will just help Kurt get settled."

And like water from a faucet, Kurt saw the woman's entire demeanor change. She flicked a quick glance at him and he shuddered. Something about her gave him the chills.

"Oh no no no, Mr. Hummel," she said quickly. She glanced behind her at the two men. "We don't allow anyone other than students and staff in the dorms. This is Brian and Ricardo. They will be helping your son settle in." She tried to pull an apologetic smile. Kurt wasn't fooled.

It became clear to him at that moment that she was hiding something. There had to be a reason why his dad and Finn were not allowed in the school dorms. Why shouldn't they be allowed to help him move in? Why did he have to trust the secret service guys with his belongings? Of course, the information seemed to go over his dad's head. He saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Part of your strict policy?" he asked, looking both slightly hurt and pleased at the news. Not letting outsiders into the dorms would reduce the risk of anyone coming in to possibly harm Kurt.

"Precisely," the woman replied. Kurt narrowed his eyes at her as she snapped her fingers and the two secret service guys collected Kurt's things from Burt and Finn and started back for the school.

Burt watched them to before noticing Kurt standing uncomfortably by the car. "Kurt!" he called, waving him over. With a sigh, the pale boy approached his father, stepbrother, and the woman who flashed him another of her fake smiles. "This is Alice Prescott, the school's Headmistress."

Kurt already knew that he didn't like this woman but he masked his dislike and schooled his face as he politely shook her hand. "Pleasure to meet you Miss. Prescott. I'm Kurt Hummel."

Miss. Prescott made a show of being impressed and turned to look at Burt. "So very well mannered Mr. Hummel. He'll fit right in." That fake smile was back on her face in a flash. Kurt swallowed, trying to lift the unease that was settling in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

Before he had known what was happening, Kurt found himself following Miss. Prescott into the school. The last few minutes were a blur and he didn't even remember saying good-bye to his dad and Finn. It was like he had a short memory lapse. Something in Miss. Prescott's gaze was very alluring and he didn't like it. It was almost hypnotic.

Kurt gazed at the brilliant structure and decor of Dalton. The beautiful wood panel walls seemed handcrafted and highly polished. There were paintings on the walls. High arched windows provided a beacon of light so there never seemed to be a dim place in the school. Heavy velvet red curtains matched red upholstered chairs and couches. Cherrywood coffee tables and work tables sat in all the common rooms, most of which had a grand fireplace. They passed several winding staircases with metal railings curving up to the upper levels.

All the while, Miss. Prescott said nothing until they came to a stop at a door. And when she turned to look at him, it became clear that she had dropped the fake act. Her eyes were dark with no emotion and her mouth was set in a straight line. Kurt widened his eyes slightly.

"Don't think I don't know you can see right through me Mr. Hummel," she bit. A chill ran up his spine. And just as easily as it was gone, her fake sweetness was back. "Okay, let's show you to your room shall we?" she said so brightly Kurt wanted to hurl.

She turned and opened the door behind her and Kurt was surprised to see there was a flight of stairs leading down.

"Now, the dorms run on three floors below the school's main level," Miss. Prescott was saying. Kurt carefully followed her down the stairs. "Yours is on the bottom most floor Mr. Hummel."

She remained quiet as the two of them traveled down two more flights of stairs. These stairs however, were not as elegantly designed as the rest of the school. In fact, they looked no different than the stairwells in garage or office buildings. Kurt was completely confused. Why was the way to the doors not as richly handcrafted and designed as the rest of the school?

If he thought the stairwell was odd, it was nothing compared to when she lead him into the door hallway. She stopped at the door marked 'Lower Level 3' which was still like a garage or office building, and gave him another fake smile.

"Welcome to the Dalton dorms Mr. Hummel." She opened the door and gestured for him to pass through first. Kurt did to find himself standing at the end of a long hallway, which was likely the main hallway. To his left was a desk at which another secret service man sat. The plaque in front of him read 'Dorm Dean Sean'. But the most striking of all was that instead of beautifully polished wood paneled walls, the dorm hallway was a stretch of pure black wall. The only breaks were the white doors spaced every so often along the hallway on both sides. Black plastic numbers marked the doors.

Miss. Prescott started down the main hall, prompting Kurt to follow her. He got the feeling the dorms were not meant to feel warm and inviting, which was such a difference from the rest of the school. The black walls gave him the chills and he noted very quickly that there were no windows down here.

"Your room is number 345," she said as she turned down the fourth hallway on the right. "Right across from Mr. Anderson," she went on and though he couldn't see her face, Kurt could tell that she was sneering at the name, just from the sound of her voice. "I want you to know that I did not agree with this, but Mr. Anderson is to be your guide for the first week. He will come get you for dinner later tonight and explain the rest of the process from there."

It was clear from the way that she spoke about him, Miss. Prescott did not like this Anderson guy at all. But then Kurt got the sense that she didn't really like him either.

"Here we are," she said, stopping in front of Room 345. She indicated the room right across the hall. "That is Room 346. It's Mr. Anderson's room." Kurt was curious about this kid and wanted to introduce himself right away but she put a firm hand in his chest. "Don't even think about it." And the fake smile slapped right back into place.

Miss. Prescott produced a key, which she stuck in the lock and unlocked the door. Then she handed the key to Kurt, making sure she didn't have to actually touch him and telling him no to lose it or it was a fifty dollar fine. Then she left, heels clacking on the cement floor of the hallway.

Kurt waited until she was gone before pushing the door open and entering the room. He found himself pleasantly surprised. Though it too was decorated in a black and white color pallet with shades of grey, it actually looked comfortable. The walls were a dark grey and all the furniture was white wood. The desk, the bed frame, headboards, bedside table, and dresser. The bed was dressed in grey sheets with a black comforter and the floored was covered in a lush black carpet. There were two doors in the wall, both painted white. Kurt found that one lead to a closer and the other lead to his personal bathroom. His stuff was set on and by the bed. There were no windows. All ans all, if wasn't that bad.

"So I see you've discovered the darker truth," said a voice and Kurt turned abruptly to see a boy leaning against the doorframe with a smile on his face. He was the most beautiful boy Kurt had ever seen. Dark curls that were gelled down neatly to his head, triangular eyebrows, olive skin, beautiful white teeth, and the most gorgeous hazel eyes Kurt had ever had the pleasure of gazing into.

The boy was wearing the Dalton uniform, which was the only splash of real color in the whole dorms. It consisted of a navy blue blazer with red piping and a matching navy blue and red tie. But the oddest thing was that there was a splotch of obvious grey on the left sleeve and unless Kurt's eyes were playing tricks on him, it seemed to be growing, though very slowly.

Shrugging the odd issue of the blazer off, Kurt smiled his trademark close mouthed smile and stuck out his hand for the boy to shake. "Kurt Hummel," he introduced. They boy smiled back and shook his hand.

"Blaine Anderson."


	2. Not As Expected

"Mr. Anderson has introduced himself to the new boy," a man spoke as he peered into a screen on which displayed the hallway outside Kurt's dorm room. Miss. Prescott was pacing the very office in which the monitors were set up.

"A little quick to fill the new student in, isn't he?" the Headmistress spat. "Mr. Hummel is junior level. His process will need to be speeded up. Hitch up Mr. Anderson's while you're at it. I want that stupid grin wiped off his face."

The man nodded his head and pushed a button that opened a switchboard. This switchboard held rows and rows of little dials and progress bars, each displaying different levels of completion. A small number above each dial indicated the speed with which each was progressing and each set up was labeled with a name. They were in alphabetical order. Blaine's was near the top. The man turned the dial a fraction to the right and the number displayed above it went up. His progress bar level was low as he himself had only started at Dalton that year but he was a year behind on progress because he started there as a sophomore.

"Start Mr. Hummel at twenty-five percent speed," Miss. Prescott said.

The man searched the switchboard until he found the new name of Kurt Hummel. His progress bar was completely empty. He turned the dial to the right until the zero above it read twenty-five.

The room filled slightly with snickers and a smirk crossed Miss. Prescott's face and she watched the monitor displaying Kurt and Blaine. "Just another student to soon send off to Pleasantville for all eternity. When the population is great enough, we will send them back to the lab with the other communities and start afresh somewhere new."

The snickers only increased and they seemed to celebrate their little scheme.

* * *

Blaine was leading Kurt to the dining hall as dinner was already being served. They had taken some time to get to know each other while the curly-haired boy had helped Kurt unpack. Kurt had changed into one of the fresh uniforms he'd found hanging in the closet. Blaine was surprisingly quiet though on their journey and Kurt was confused. He had struck the pale boy as a happy and talkative person but now, something had caused him to go very quiet. Kurt had no idea what was going on.

They came to a stop outside the dining hall and Blaine placed both hands on Kurt's shoulders, stopping him from entering immediately.

"Listen to me Kurt," he said, voice very serious and Kurt cocked an eyebrow. He was slightly concerned. "When we go in there, you're going to notice something rather strange." His eyes fell to the grey patch on his blazer sleeve and he subconsciously tugged at it. Kurt didn't miss how the grey seemed to stay in one spot though Blaine had tugged the sleeve down. Shouldn't it have moved with the sleeve? He shook it off.

"What do you mean Blaine?" he asked quietly.

Blaine's eyes went to the doors of the dining hall and he stood staring at them for a moment. "I mean, I'm not the only one sporting grey," he replied. Kurt's eyes went wide.

"What is going on here?" he asked. Blaine sighed.

"I'm not even sure myself," he replied. "Just that there's some weird stuff going on and periodically, students disappear and don't come back." Kurt stared at him. What the hell? This was supposed to be a safe school. "Usually seniors, though juniors often disappear too."

Kurt swallowed. "I'm a junior." Blaine's olive skin paled. But he tried to have optimism. Granted, whatever they were doing to the students, Blaine was very aware that they wanted the process complete by the time the students were meant to graduate. Kurt being a junior meant they might speed things up for him. Only when the process was complete, whatever it was, did the students disappear.

"Don't worry Kurt, I won't let anything happen to you." Blaine decided right then and there that he would be by Kurt's side at every given moment. If they wanted to take Kurt, they could take him too.

Kurt smiled at him and Blaine reached out to take his hand, a bit hesitantly. They had just met after all but both boys already seemed to be harboring a deep connection for each other.

Without another word, Blaine opened the door to the dining hall and the two of them walked in. And that was when Kurt understood what Blaine had been trying to warn him of. All over the room there were boys with various patches of grey all over them. Kurt even noticed one boy whose entire hair was grey. Another had the whole right half of his head grey, face and hair included. It was kind of creepy because Kurt could tell that the side of the boy's face that was grey was completely lifeless.

Blaine lead Kurt to a table with a bunch of boys. Three of them, Kurt noticed were very nearly completely grey, like the boy he'd seen by the Pleasantville sign. The various others were in various stages of grey, with different splotches.

"Guys, this is Kurt," Blaine introduced him to the other boys. A glance around the dining hall told Kurt that the food was brought to them. "Kurt, this is Wes, David, Thad," Blaine went on, pointing out the three boys who were nearly completely grey and showed few signs of life. "Jeff and Nick and…" He stopped. "Where's Trent?" he asked.

The Asian boy, called Wes looked even more lifeless. "Gone," he in a lifeless tone.

"What so you mean gone?" Blaine pressed. "He's only a Sophomore!"

The boy called Jeff looked up from the plate in front of him. Kurt became aware of the large grey patch on the boy's cheek that had just started to spill into his mouth, making the very corner seem flat.

"Trent broke a major rule," he said, not sounding at all like he believed that. "Mrs. Allen said that he was gone and would not be coming back. That was all she told us." Blaine got a hardened look across his face.

"You're thinking what I am, aren't you?" The boy called Nick said. A large patch of his hair, as well as his entire right hand was grey. Blaine locked eyes on him and nodded.

"Um…pardon me, but what?" Kurt asked tentatively.

Nick gave Kurt a sympathetic look and glanced at Blaine. Blaine indicated for Kurt to sit down and he sat beside him. "Remember how just outside I was warning you about disappearances?"

Kurt nodded his head. "Yes but you said usually seniors and sometimes, juniors." He cringed at the thought of him being in a year level that seemed to disappear.

"Usually, yes. But sometimes if a student does something that particularly infuriates the staff, they will disappear within twenty-four hours of the incident, regardless of year level," Blaine replied solemnly.

"And if you're not careful Blaine," the boy called David said, his voice as lifeless as Wes' had been. "You'll be next."

Blaine rolled his eyes and pulled out his cell phone. He opened his pictures and showed it to Kurt. "This is Trent." Kurt choked on the water he had just been delivered.

"That's him! That's the boy I saw standing beside the Pleasantville sign!" he cried.

The other boys looked at each other and Kurt became hyper aware that they knew something he didn't. Or maybe he was just overreacting.

"You saw the Pleasantville sign?" Nick asked. Kurt nodded. "There's some weird connection with that Pleasantville thing to Dalton. I mean, you can drive that highway a million times and never once notice the sign. But drive that highway with the intent of coming to Dalton and it sticks out like a sore thumb."

Kurt furrowed his brow and looked down at the chicken on the plate that had just been set in front of him. "So, why didn't my dad or stepbrother see it?" he asked. They had the intent on coming to Dalton, obviously.

"Because it's only prospective Dalton students that ever see it," Thad replied. He too, had a lifeless voice. It was like the life had been drained right out of him. He, Wes, and David barely had any color left to their beings.

It was silent for a few moments before Blaine cried out suddenly. "Kurt! Your hand!" Kurt didn't have a clue what he was talking about but Blaine's eyes were locked on Kurt's right hand which held his fork. Jeff and Nick had both turned to look at the outburst. Kurt was afraid to look.

When he finally did, his breath hitched. His entire right thumb was grey. The hell? He hadn't even been at that school a few hours yet and already he had an entirely grey thumb. A chill ran through his body. Moving the thumb felt strange. It was like it was moving but without any feeling of being. What was going on?

"They really are speeding things up on your account," Blaine whispered, voice tinged with fear.

"I think they've hitched you up too Blaine," Jeff said, nodding to the arm on which Blaine was sporting the grey patch. When Kurt looked at Blaine's arm, he noticed that the grey patch had grown width wise so that it had wrapped itself around his arm like an arm band.

Kurt didn't know what was going on here and he wasn't sure he really wanted to find out but he needed to get to the bottom of this and damn quick. Otherwise, he might find himself disappearing from his real life forever.

* * *

"It's really weird Mercedes," Kurt was saying into his cell phone as he reclined on his bed later that evening. The dorms were on lockdown. Apparently, they went on lockdown at eleven every night. Blaine explained that the dorm dean had a button that instilled a mechanical lock on all the doors so no one could get in and no one could get out. That mechanical lock was released again at six in the morning. So all the boys were confined to their dorms with no escape between eleven at night and six in the morning. The only time this was lifted was during the weekends. There were no curfews on Friday and Saturday nights and students were allowed to go home during the weekends provided they were back by curfew Sunday night.

As strict as Dalton was, they allowed the weekend leave for one reason. None of the boys ever wanted to go home. Would you really want to tell your family why you're starting to look like an old black and white movie? They allowed it because they were confident no one would do it.

"Let me get this straight," Mercedes replied. "Boys disappear and everyone is at different stages of grey and you now have a grey thumb?" She clearly sounded as though she did not believe any of this.

"If you're really having that much trouble believing me Mercedes," Kurt started, not blaming her because if someone had told him this over the phone, he wouldn't believe them either. "I can send you a picture of my thumb, and the dorm room if you want."

Mercedes was quiet for a bit. "It's okay boo, I'll take your word for it."

Kurt was about to reply when there was a knocking on the floorboards beneath the carpet. "I'm going to have to call you back." He hung up the phone without waiting for her to respond and narrowed his eyes, listening intently for the sound of the knocking. It seemed as though it was coming from the closet.

Kurt got up off the bed and opened the closet door just as the knocking came again. When he turned on the light and looked down, he noticed for the first time a handle poking up out of the carpet. Bending down, Kurt reached a hand out for it. He jumped when the knocking came once more as he went to touch it. Swallowing hard, he wrapped his hand around the handle and pulled. It turned out to be a hatch in the floor.

Stunned, Kurt stared in surprise as Blaine pulled himself up through the hatch and shut it carefully behind him.

"About time you opened it. It does get a little cramped down there." Kurt just stared at him for a moment.

"You wanna tell me what this is all about?" he asked when he finally found his voice. Blaine ushered Kurt back out of the closet and into the room where he plopped in the desk chair. Kurt sat back down on his bed and looked at him expectantly.

"All the rooms have hatches in the floor somewhere in them," he started. "Some are randomly in the middle of the room. Some are in the bathroom. Some are in the closet like yours. Some are even in the space under the bed. Which is why there is so much room under the beds." He took a breath and glanced toward the bathroom door. "They're the reason why the floor is carpeted. The carpet is meant to hide the hatch."

Kurt was quiet for a moment. "But why?" He asked.

Blaine shrugged. "My guess is that they don't want us to know they're there. The staff uses them to check up on us in the middle of the night, make sure we're still where we're meant to be."

"But we're locked in. We have no way of getting out," Kurt pointed out.

"The hatches lead all over the school too. There have been instances where students have used them to get out after curfew." He was quiet for a moment. "If they get caught, they disappear the next day."

Kurt paled more if that was possible. "But then you shouldn't be here," he said fearfully.

Blaine gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I only left my room, not the dorms. That punishment is reserved for students who think it's smart to leave the dorms after curfew. We think they use the hatches to get students out in the middle of the night, when they disappear. They don't want the rest of us to know where they take them."

"Clearly we aren't supposed to know about the hatches either."

Blaine shrugged. "They know we do. You can only go so long without knowing it's there."

"Unless it's under the bed," Kurt replied. Rules stated rooms had to be kept neat and orderly. Students should therefore have no reason to be reaching under the bed.

Blaine laughed. "Mine's in the middle of the floor. I tripped over it the day I found it," he replied. The look in his eyes told Kurt that Blaine thought they might have put him in a room with the hatch in the middle of it for a reason.

"Let me guess," he said after a moment. "The middle of the floor hatches are in the rooms of students they expect to be troublemakers?"

Blaine shrugged. "Could be. Most of those caught were from rooms with middle of the floor hatches." Kurt wondered how Blaine could be so calm. God he hoped Blaine never tried to leave the school after curfew. He would hate to lose the boy as a friend. Especially with the connection they had formed in a matter of hours. "So, I'm sorry I interrupted your phone call."

Kurt stared at him. "How did you know I was on the phone?"

Blaine sighed. "All the walls down here are thin. It's meant that way so the staff can hear if someone is doing something they shouldn't be. Jeff and Nick almost got caught in the act once."

Kurt stared at him with wide eyes. Good loss. This place really didn't take any chances. He hadn't failed to notice the video cameras in the hallways. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any in the rooms.

"You said they pop in in the middle of the night," he said. Blaine nodded. "Aren't you worried you'll get caught in my room?" Blaine shook his head.

"No. They don't start hatch rounds until at least two in the morning. By then, you and I will both be sound asleep in our own dorms," he told him. Kurt nodded his head though be was still skeptical of the whole thing. "I'm sorry Kurt," Blaine went on after several moments of silence.

"For what?" Kurt asked, confused.

"For Dalton not being what you expected it to be," Blaine replied quietly. Kurt shrugged.

"I knew the place was too good to be true," he commented. Blaine got up from the chair and came to sit beside him, taking Kurt's hand in his. Kurt's eyes momentarily studied the grey arm band around Blaine's arm.

"You're not the first one to feel disappointed. Believe me. But the no bullying zero tolerance policy is definitely upheld." Kurt allowed a soft smile to cross his face briefly and Blaine squeezed his hand. "If you need me to be, I will always be here for you Kurt."

"Thank you Blaine. That means a lot to me." Without thinking Kurt leaned forward and brushed his lips against Blaine's cheek. The younger boy was startled for a moment and Kurt panicked. "Oh God! I'm so sorry Blaine! I wasn't thinking and I—"

Blaine cut him off. "Relax Kurt. It's all right," he said with a chuckle. "I just wasn't expecting it, that's all." He squeezed Kurt's hand again and smiled gently at him. "I should go. Walk you to breakfast tomorrow morning?"

"I'd like that," Kurt said, blushing.

"Great," Blaine confirmed, reluctantly letting Kurt's hand go and standing from the bed. "I'll see you then." Kurt nodded and watched Blaine walk back into the closet and jump down the hatch. With one last fleeting wave, he disappeared, pulling the hatch shut. Kurt sighed and laid back on the bed. Blaine was right. Dalton certainly wasn't what he had been expecting.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked that! As I tell all my readers, reviews make me smile! Happy reading!


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